Fistful of Talent

NextGen HR Pro Skill #14: Schmoozing…

NextGen HR and recruiting pros… here’s an essential skill I’m going to add to the mix, and this goes into the soft skills category… NextGen HR pros gotta know how to schmooze and must learn to become good conversationalists.

Most junior HR and recruiting pros get requisitions for other junior or entry level positions. One potential hurdle for this arrangement? Let’s say you’re a big fan of behavioral interviews. You fervently believe that the past is the best indicator of future performance. But entry level or junior hires don’t have much of a past. They have internships. They have academic experiences. They have extracurricular activities. And meanwhile, your junior recruiter is learning the ropes, still figuring out how to read people and sniff out the B.S. They are still figuring out how to get at motivation and cultural fit, yet they are sitting there talking to an entry or junior level candidate – different discipline, but let’s say within a year or two of experience of each other – neither of them are really fully comfortable with the whole interview setting. Your junior recruiter patiently waits for that S-T-A-R response to the list of behavioral interview questions you’ve helped them prepare. And meanwhile the kid across from them is fumbling.

Ummm. Awkward! That sounds painful actually.

NextGen folks need to learn how to have conversations. Sounds basic, but it isn’t folks. Especially when we, the NextGen, have grown up spending so much time in front of computers and on cell phones. Digital communication excellency does not substitute for good ole schmoozing.

90%, maybe 80% at best, of entry level and junior pros suck at having a conversation with a recruiter about their skills. Most haven’t mastered how to sell nor schmooze themselves… meanwhile, your junior recruiter is sitting there waiting for a S-T-A-R response to behavioral interview questions. And it’s a bit of a disconnect because how do you get at whether someone is qualified when they don’t how how to talk about themselves and their communication skills stink, or they just don’t have a lot of experience to draw from? You gotta know how to listen really well and drive a conversation, folks. You’ve gotta figure out how to get that person talking about themselves. And you’ve gotta get them talking about things that will help illustrate whether they are going to be a good fit. This, I call schmoozing.

The alternative… you could say to hell with it and just be concerned with that 10 to 20% who can talk about themselves in an articulate manner. But a good recruiting pro? You’re not willing to alienate that other 80-90% because you see every interview as an opportunity to evangelize about your employment brand. That 80-90% who suck at communicating with you probably can communicate well enough that they will go tell their roommate, friend, neighbor, aunt, mom and mentor about the experience they had… So, you want to leave them with a positive impression, but awkward interviews with fits and spurts of weird conversation isn’t going to bode well in that arena. NextGen HR or recruiting pros better know damn well how to steer the conversation, make small talk and figure out whether or not the candidate is going to be a good fit culturally to the organization.

And we’ve gotta cultivate this ability to schmooze. Seriously. So, the big question? How? Hit the comments with your thoughts.

Jessica Lee is a VP of TA at Marriott International where she leads a team that enables the company to think big, broad and boldly about all things talent acquisition and in effect, keeps them relevant and ahead of the curve in how they attract and acquire top talent. Don't be fooled by that fancy pants title and description though, she's still an everyday HR gal in the trenches at the core. SPHR certified, a decade and a half into trench HR life... she can whip up a corrective action plan or source for your purple squirrel in a heartbeat.
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